Knitting machine with electromagnetic needle selection mechanism



E. KRAUSE KNITTING MACHINE WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC Sept. 12, 1957 NEEDLESELECTION MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 11, 1964 IN VENTO R Erch K aase B zlmm and Se t 12, 1967 E. KRAUSE KNITTING MACHINE WITHELECTROMAGNETIC NEEDLE SELECTION MECHANISM Filed Feb. 11, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE NT OR Erich Kraase United States Patent 3 340,708KNITTING MACHINE WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC NEEDLE SELECTION MECHANISM ErichKrause, Bopfingen, Wurttemberg, Germany, assignor to UniversalMaschinenfabrik Dr. Rudolf Schleber GmbH, Westhausen, Wurttemberg,Germany Filed Feb. 11, 1964, Ser. No. 344,081

Claims priority, applicatignsggarmany, Feb. 15, 1963,

2 Claims. (a. 66-75) This invention relates to knitting machines, andparticularly to a needle selection mechanism for producing patternedknitted fabrics on a knitting machine.

It is known to produce patterns in knitted fabrics by lifting onlyselected needles to a clearing position, while lifting others to a tuckposition, and leaving others in the rest position. The needle selectionof the known machines relies on Jacquard card mechanisms and similarrelatively complex devices. The preparation of Jacquard cards isrelatively costly, and other known mechanisms similarly require arelatively large amount of costly labor to prepare a knitting machinefor knitting a specific pattern.

An object of the invention is a needle selection mechanism which can beset for any specific pattern in a simpler manner than was heretoforeavailable.

Another object is a needle selection mechanism which occupies but aminimum of space.

The invention relies on an electromagnetically actuated selectormechanism which controls movement of each needle from the rest positionto the tuck position or the clearing position. It is known to actuateelectrornagnets in timed sequence by means of moving punched tapes whichcooperate with microswitches, or which transmit light pulses in timedsequence. The light pulses are converted to electrical signals byphotoelectric cells, and the signals energize relays in circuit with theelectromagnets. Obviously, program carriers other than punched tape maybe employed in cooperation with photoelectric cells, such as moving filmstrips having areas of different density. Magnetic recording tapecooperating with reading heads in a conventional manner also is asuitable program carrier,

and others will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.:It will be understood that the transport mechanisms for the punchedtape, the film strip, or the magnetic recording tape must be driven bythe main drive of the knitting machine or be otherwise synchronizedtherewith.

The exact nature of this invention as well as other objects andadvantages thereof will be readily apparent from consideration of thefollowing specification relating to the annexed drawing in which:

I FIG. 1 shows portions of a flat bed knitting machine equipped with aneedle selector mechanism of the invention, the view being inside-elevational section on the longitudinal axis of a needle andperpendicularly to the needle bed;

FIG. 2 shows a part of the cam arrangement of the machine of FIG. 1 inthe plan view;

FIG. 3 shows the cam arrangements of FIG. 2 in front elevation, andpartly in section;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the device of FIG. 1

in a different operating position; and

FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to that of FIG. 4, but illustrating yetanother operating position of the device of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, and initially to FIG. 1, thereis shown only as much of a flat bed knitting machine as is necessary foran understanding of the needle selector mechanism with which thisinvention is more directly concerned.

A latch needle 1 is longitudinally slidable in a groove of a needle bed14*which supports a plurality of needles as is conventional. The needlehas a long lifting butt In at the end of its stem remote from the latch.A jack 2 abuts against the needle 1. A finger 3 is pivotally attached tothe end of the jack 2 remote from the needle 1 by a hinge 3a. The finger3 carries a short pattern butt 4. While only a single needle 1 and theassociated jack 2 and finger 3 have been illustrated in the drawing, itwill be understood that the knitting machine has a multiplicity ofneedles arranged in the bed 14 in the manner shown.

The butts 1a and 4 cooperate with two longitudinally spaced sets of camsarranged on a common support 40.

The cams travel with the support 40 transversely of the direction ofelongation of the needles 1 during operation of the knitting machine asis conventional. The cam set 41 is longitudinally aligned with the shortbutt 4 when the needle 1, jack 2, and finger 3 are in the rest positionillustrated in FIG. 1. The set 42 is longitudinally offset from the longbutt 1a in the illustrated position.

The cam set 41 constitutes the pattern cam of the knitting machine. Itincludes a hump 43 whose face 5 slopes from the cam support 40 towardthe needle bed 14 in the direction of relative movement of thecamsupport and needle bed. It drops abruptly from a flat top to thesurface of the support 40. A hump 44 aligned with the hump 43 in thedirection of relative movement of the support 40 and of the needle bed14 has two parallel sloping faces 6, 17 which are perpendicular to thesupport 40 and obliquely inclined to the direction of elongation of theneedles 1. The cam face 17 is adjacent the support 40 and nearer thehump 43 than the 'cam face 6 which is spaced from the support 40 towardthe needle bed 14.

The second cam set 42 includes the knitting cams of the machine. Atucking cam 12, a clearing cam 13, and a guard and stitch cam 13a areseparated from each other by gaps adapted to receive the long butt 1a.The clearing cam 13 is longitudinally aligned with the cam face 17, andthe gap between the tucking cam 12 and the clearing cam 13 is alignedwith the cam face 6.

A lever rotatably mounted on a stationary pin 9 is associated with eachneedle 1. One arm 7 of the lever is urged against the finger 3 by ahelical tension spring 16 attached to the other lever arm 8. The spring16 holds the butt 4 in engagement with the pattern cam set.

A solenoid 15 having two axially spaced windings is adapted to cooperatewith the lever 7, 8, The armature rod15a of the solenoid carries a latch10. An edge of the latch 10 has a notch 11. In the normal condition ofthe solenoid 15, the latch 10 is out of range of the lever arm 8. Whenthe solenoid is energized, the latch is moved toward the lever arm 8until the notch 11 can receive the arm, as shown in FIG. 4, or until astop 15b of the armature abuts against the solenoid as shown in FIG. 5.

The aforedescri'bed apparatus operates as follows:

With the latch 10 in its normal position, as shownv in FIG. 1, the shortbutt 4 travels over the hump 5 under the pressure of the spring 16 andsequentially assumes the positions thereof illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4, 5,and 1. It is then engaged by the cam face 17 of the hump 44 and travelslongitudinally in the needle bed 14. The finger 3 pushes the jack 2 andthe needle 1 toward the right, as viewed in FIG. 1, and the long butt 1aenters the gap between the clearing cam 13 and the stitch cam 13a. Theneedle is shifted to its clearing position and performs a normalknitting cycle.

When one of the windings of the associated solenoid 15 is energizedwhile the butt 4 travels over the flat top of the hump 43, the latch 10is pushed toward the lever arm 8 into the intermediate operativeposition illustrated in FIG. 4. When the butt 4 drops from the end ofthe hump 43, the arm 8 engages the notch 11 on the latch 10. The butt 4is held far enough from the cam support 40 to clear the cam face 17, butis engaged by the cam face 6.

The resulting longitudinal displacement of the jack 2 and of the needle1 shifts the long butt 1a into the gap between the tucking cam 12 andthe clearing cam 13. The needle 1 is only shifted to its tuck position.

When the second winding of the'solenoid 15 is energized while the shortbutt travels over the flat top of the hump 43, the lever arm 8 engagesthe side of the latch 10 when the butt 4 reaches the end of the hump 43.The butt 1a is held in an inoperative position in which the butt 1aclears the knitting cams during relative movement of the cam support 40and of the needle bed 14. The needle 1 is not moved from the illustratedposition.

Instead of a solenoid with double windings, a solenoid having a singlewinding may be employed, and the stroke of the armature rod a may becontrolled by abutment of the latch 10 against the arm 8. Movement ofthe armature takes place at the precisely timed moment at which the edgeportion of the arm is aligned with the notch 11. With a solenoid havingonly a single winding, I prefer to omit the notch 11 from the latch 10,and to provide the arm 8 with one or more notches analogous to the notch11, so that the end face of the arm 8 is stepped. The distance traveledby the needle 1 is then determined by the step of the arm 8 engaged bythe latch 10.

In the invention described hereinabove with reference to the drawing,the pattern mechanism depends mainly on an electromagnetic controldevice for limiting the longitudinal movement of a knitting needle. Thewell-known simple and reliable devices for controlling the flow ofelectric current to an electromagnet are available for energizing anddeenergizing the electromagnetic control devices of the invention intimed sequence with the other movements of the knitting machine.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosurerelates only to preferred embodiments of the invention, and that it isintended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of theinvention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do notconstitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention setforth in the "appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a knitting machine:

' (a) a flat needle support;

(b) a plurality of juxtaposed needle means elongated in a commondirection and mounted on said support, each needle means beinglongitudinally movable on said support between a plurality of positions,each needle means including a lifting butt;

(c) pattern butt means associated with each needle means and mounted onsaid support for abutting engagement with said needle means when saidpattern butt means moves in a direction of longitudinal needle movement;

(d) a cam support arranged for movement relative to I said needlesupport transversely of the direction of elongation of said needlemeans;

(e) pattern cam means and knitting cam means mounted on said cam supportand spaced in said direction, said pattern cam means being engageablewith said pattern butt means for shifting said lifting butt in saidlongitudinal direction into a position of engagement with said knittingcam means;

(1) said pattern cam means including first and second hump means,

(2) said first hump means being effective, during said relative movementof said cam support and said needle support, to guide said pattern buttmeans from an operative position to an inoperative position and thenceto the operative position, and

(3) yieldably resilient means permanently urging said pattern butt meansinto guiding engagement with said first hump means,

(4) said pattern butt means when in said operative position beingengageable with said second hump means for shifting said lifting buttinto said position of engagement thereof,

(5) said pattern butt means when in said inoperative position being outof engagement with said second hump means;

(f) a plurality of electromagnetic means respectively associated withsaid pattern butt means, each electromagnetic means including a coilmember and an armature member, one member of the electromagnetic meansbeing arranged in fixed relationship to said needle support for movementof the other member thereof when the coil member is energized anddeenergized; and

(g) motion transmitting means interposed between said other member ofeach electromagnetic means and the associated pattern butt means forcontrolling engagement of said pattern butt means with said pattern cammeans in response to the movement of said other member;

(1) said motion transmitting means including latch means for retainingsaid pattern butt means in said inoperative position thereof.

2.. In a knitting machine, in combination:

(a) a flat needle support;

(b) a plurality of juxtaposed needle means elongated in a commondirection mounted on said support,

(1) each needle means being movable on said support in the direction ofelongation thereof and including a lifting butt;

(c) pattern butt means longitudinally aligned with each needle means andmovable on said support in said direction for abuttingly engaging thealigned needle means and for longitudinally moving the engaged needlemeans, the pattern butt means being further movable on said supportbetween a retracted position and two positions of pattern camengagement;

(d) a cam support arranged for movement relative to said needle supporttransversely of said direction;

(e) pattern cam means and knitting cam means mounted on said cam supportfor movement therewith, each of said cam means including two camportions,

(1) said cam portions of said pattern cam means being positioned forrespectively engaging said pattern butt means when in said two positionsof pattern cam engagement and for moving the pattern butt means in saiddirection (2) said needle means when abuttingly engaged by said patternbutt means moving from a first to second and third positions thereof insaid direction when said pattern butt means is moved by the two camportions of said pattern cam means respectively,

(3) the cam portions of said knitting cam means being positioned forrespectively engaging said lifting butt in two of said first, second,and third positions of said needle means for moving the needle means insaid direction;

(f) a plurality of electromagnetic means, each of said electromagneticmeans being associated with a respective one of said pattern butt means,

(1) each electromagnetic means including a coil member and an armaturemember, one member of each electromagnetic means being arranged in fixedrelationship to said needle support for movement of the other memberthereof when the coil member is energized and deenergized; and

(g) motion transmitting means interposed between said other member ofeach electromagnetic means and the associated pattern butt means formoving said pattern butt means between said retracted position and saidtwo positions of pattern cam engagement in response to the energizingand deenergizing of said coil member.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS24,031 357'132 Rumnet 66-75 217 453 Ruinnet 6675 5 14 425 Lawson 6675Tandler et al 66-75 X MacQueen 66-75 X FOREIGN PATENTS MERVIN STEIN,Primary Examiner. W. C. REYNOLDS, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A KNITTING MACHINE: (A) A FLAT NEEDLE SUPPORT; (B) A PLURALITY OFJUXTAPOSED NEEDLE MEANS ELONGATED IN A COMMON DIRECTION AND MOUNTED ONSAID SUPPORT, EACH NEEDLE MEANS BEING LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE ON SAIDSUPPORT BETWEEN A PLURALITY OF POSITIONS, EACH NEEDLE MEANS INCLUDING ALIFTING BUTT; (C) PATTERN BUTT MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH NEEDLE MEANSAND MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FOR ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID NEEDLEMEANS WHEN SAID PATTERN BUTT MEANS MOVES IN A DIRECTION OF LONGITUDINALNEEDLE MOVEMENT; (D) A CAM SUPPORT ARRANGED FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TOSAID NEEDLE SUPPORT TRANSVERSELY OF THE DIRECTION OF ELONGATION OF SAIDNEEDLE MEANS; (E) PATTERN CAM MEANS AND KNITTING CAM MEANS MOUNTED ONSAID CAM SUPPORT AND SPACED IN SAID DIRECTION, SAID PATTERN CAM MEANSBEING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID PATTERN BUTT MEANS FOR SHIFTING SAID LIFTINGBUTT IN SAID LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION INTO A POSITION OF ENGAGEMENT WITHSAID KNITTING CAM MEANS; (1) SAID PATTERN CAM MEANS INCLUDING FIRST ANDSECOND HUMP MEANS, (2) SAID FIRST HUMP MEANS BEING EFFECTIVE, DURINGSAID RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID CAM SUPPORT AND SAID NEEDLE SUPPORT, TOGUIDE SAID PATTERN BUTT MEANS FROM AN OPERATIVE POSITION TO ANINOPERATIVE POSITION AND THENCE TO THE OPERATIVE POSITION, AND (3)YIELDABLY RESILIENT MEANS PERMANENTLY URGING SAID PATTERN BUTT MEANSINTO GUIDING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FIRST HUMP MEANS, (4) SAID PATTERNBUTT MEANS WHEN IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAIDSECOND